Wounded Heart
by cyberwulf
Summary: 'Wild at Heart' revisited. What if, in the Bronze scene, Giles had got mad instead of just sucking up the Scooby Gang's abuse?


**Title:** Wounded Heart

**Author:** Cyberwulf

**Rating:** PG

**Summary:** 'Wild at Heart' revisited. What if, in the Bronze scene, Giles had got mad instead of just sucking up the Scooby Gang's abuse?

**Spoilers:** Contains dialogue from Wild at Heart.****

**Disclaimer:** Joss Whedon and ME own the characters, and the original dialogue.

**Distribution:** If you want it, just ask for it.

**Feedback:** Feed the Wulf! cyberwulf_1andonly@yahoo.co.uk

   " The Bronze is more fun this year, isn't it?" Willow declared brightly.

   Buffy nodded in agreement. " 'Cause of the gloating factor alone, y'know? We're all about college now. We've got heady discourse."

   " Yeah," Oz agreed. " Curfew-free nights of mom-and-pop-less hootenanny."

   " Co-ed dating prospects who find townies sexy and dangerous," Xander added. He wilted a little as the others stared at him. " What? I can dream."

   " Right," Buffy remarked. " So, if college is so great, what are we doing here and why is it more fun?"

   " Because the Bronze is nice and familiar," Willow answered with a grin. " It's like a big comfy blanky."

   " I was under the impression that I was your big comfy blanky," Oz murmured.

   " Aw," Willow replied, stroking his arm. " You're my person blanky. This is my place blanky. You know, with the shock of all the new, it's nice to have one place that you can come back to where everything's predictable."

   " Hello all."

   Four heads turned as Giles approached the table.

   " Giles, trouble?" Buffy asked apprehensively.

   " Oh no, Buffy. Don't get up," Giles assured her. He found an empty chair and squeezed in next to Xander. " No, nothing like that." He suddenly felt extremely self-conscious. " No, I just, you know, I thought I'd drop by." He cleared his throat. "Uh, latte anyone? On me?"

   The others simply stared at him in shock.

   " So much for your predictable blanky theory, Will," Buffy remarked. Giles winced inwardly, but let it go.

   " Splendid," he declared, glancing up at the stage. " It's ages since I've been to a gig." This drew more stares. The former Watcher felt himself going red. " Well, don't look that way." Their expressions didn't change. " I'm…I'm…I'm down with the new music. And I have the albums to prove it."

   " Yes, but it's your cutting edge eight-tracks that keep you ahead of the scene," Buffy drawled sarcastically.

   " Don't scoff, gang," Oz cut in. " I've seen Giles' collection. He was an animal in his day."

   " Thank you," Giles replied. He was grateful for the young werewolf's support, but could've done without the phrase 'in his day'. Still, at least someone was on his side.

   " Hey, why not?" Buffy added. " If the Stones can keep rolling, why not Giles?"

   Once more Giles swallowed his annoyance. " Exactly."

   " I think it's brave that you're here," Willow said with a warm smile.

   Giles looked around the group, feeling distinctly uncomfortable. " Well, thank you, all." Despite his best efforts, he couldn't keep some of the bitterness he felt from coming through in his tone. " You've made me feel right at home."

   " Isn't home the empty place you're trying to escape?" Xander quipped.

   Giles stared at Xander for a few moments. It was just long enough to make the others realise something had gone very wrong.

   " Fine," Giles declared. He shoved his chair back, banging it on the floor as he did so. "Right, I know when I'm not wanted."

   " Giles, wait!" Willow called as he stalked away, but it was too late.

   " Man, what was that all about?" Xander wondered. Something hard banged into his shin and he leapt off his chair. " Ow, ow, ow!" He hopped around on his uninjured leg, then looked up to see Willow glaring at him. " Jeez, Will! That really hurt!"

   " Good!" Willow shouted. " I hope it hurts just as much as Giles is hurting right now!"

   " Huh?!"

   Xander's expression of utter bewilderment only incensed the witch even further.

   " Why'd you have to say that, Xander?" Willow asked angrily. " If Giles is all lonely in an empty house, with no-one to talk to, why don't you go see him instead of making stupid, cruel remarks, huh?"

   Xander floundered, going red as Willow's words hit their mark.

   " Well – well, have *you* been round to Giles' place lately?" he shot back.

   Willow blushed guiltily, but then got mad again.

   " Hey, this isn't about me!" she declared. " *I* was happy to see Giles. I liked that he was here. 'Cos I think of him as, as a friend, and not some easy target for pathetic jokes that I make to make myself feel good!"

   " Hey!" Xander protested, but couldn't find a good argument to follow it with.

   Willow wasn't done. She rounded on Buffy.

   " And you! All those cracks about his age, and all that other stuff!"

   " What other stuff?" Buffy asked, genuinely puzzled.

   " Oh, I don't know," Willow replied sarcastically, " all those 'get outta here, Giles!' vibes you were giving off!"

   " I don't give off vibes!" Buffy shouted, colouring slightly.

   " Hey, sure, whatever you say," Willow answered hotly. " Well, I don't think you have to worry about Giles upsetting your nice, predictable life any more, because I don't think he'll be back. Ever."

   Buffy's anger was rising to meet Willow's, as it always did whenever she was in an argument and ended up backed into a corner. But before she could start yelling, Willow continued.

   " Didn't you guys see his face?" she asked softly.

   Buffy's anger dissipated completely at the memory of Giles' angry, hurt expression as he'd stormed past them. He'd only come to spend some time with them, and they'd driven him away. Suddenly she felt about two inches tall.

   " I'll go talk to him," she mumbled, getting up. She pushed her way through the throng and headed for the exit.

   " Well, I'd go too," Xander called, " but since *someone* nearly crippled me –"

   " Could you just shut up, Xander?" Willow snapped. " Really? Can you just – just stop that hole in your head flapping up and down and sound coming out?"

   " Sure," Xander snapped back. He sat back down, folded his arms and glared at a point on the floor. He wasn't really angry at Willow. He was angry with himself – because everything she'd said was true. He hadn't meant to hurt Giles. The jokes were a defence mechanism, evolved over a lifetime of being picked on and beaten up by kids who were bigger, stronger and slower than he was. It was an automatic reaction by now – see an opening, go for it, wound the target, get them worse than they could get you. He should've known Giles would take it badly. But he hadn't even stopped to think. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

   Willow leaned into Oz, and he put his arm around her. 

   " I love Buffy and Xander, but they just make me so mad sometimes," she murmured.

   Oz dropped a light kiss on her hair.

   " You tell 'em, Will." 

   Giles stood outside the Bronze, his hands jammed in his pockets. He might've known this would turn out badly. He shouldn't have bothered – should've stayed at home with the TV and saved himself the humiliation. He couldn't blame them, really – lord knew no self-respecting teenager wanted to hang around with anyone over twenty-five. It was still a horrible feeling, though, being excluded. Being unwanted.

   Giles took his glasses off and started to clean them on the end of his shirt. They didn't need cleaning. It was just a comfort thing – and it meant, for a few minutes, that he didn't have to look at the rest of the world. He pondered what to do next. He could always go to a bar, and get good and drunk. Or, he could go home, and get good and drunk. Home was cheaper, and had the added benefit of not having to worry about how to get to bed at the end of the night. On the other hand, if he went to a bar, perhaps he could get in a fight and take his anger out on someone. He heaved a sigh. Was this what his life had been reduced to?

   Buffy stepped outside. She hadn't expected Giles to still be loitering around the Bronze. She watched him cleaning his glasses. He looked so sad and lonely. She wondered suddenly if Giles had any friends apart from the Scooby gang, and winced when she realised the answer was probably no. Tentatively, Buffy approached him.

   " Giles?"

   He slipped his glasses back on and turned to glare at her.

   " Buffy," he said coldly.

   Buffy was suddenly unsure of what to say. " What are you doing out here?" she asked lamely.

   " I was just on my way back to my empty house to listen to my cutting edge eight-tracks," Giles answered bitterly. " We old folks have to be in by nine anyway. Wouldn't want me to break a hip now, would you?"

   Buffy blushed in shame. " Giles –"

   " I came down here tonight because I missed all of you," Giles went on quietly. " It took me two and a half minutes to realise I don't miss being teased and ridiculed by the people I care about."

   His voice hitched a little and he turned away, but not before Buffy saw his expression. Buffy's eyes got very wide. Giles had an 'I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry' look on his face. Buffy tried to swallow the lump in her throat. They'd done that to him, she and Xander. Willow was right. They didn't treat him like a friend. Or even like a person, sometimes. He had his back to her, shoulders hunched, hands in his pockets. Buffy crossed the distance between them and slid her arms around him.

   " We're jerks, Giles," she mumbled into his jacket. " We're big, dumb jackasses. And we're sorry, we're so sorry." She stroked his stomach. " Please, please come back inside."

   She felt him take a deep, shuddering, breath.

   " I don't know why I said those things," Buffy continued. " I guess I was just surprised to see you here." Giles sniffed. " And I know that's not an excuse. But I didn't mean to make you feel like we didn't want you around." She hugged him a little tighter. " I guess, because you're not always Feelings Guy, I sometimes forget you have them." She gave a short, humourless laugh. " Which makes me seven kinds of pond scum, huh?"

   He didn't say anything. 

   " Please come back with me," Buffy whispered.

   At last he spoke.

   " No more pointed remarks about my age?"

   " None, I promise," Buffy assured him. Giles took another deep breath, a more relaxed one this time. Buffy continued to hold him. Finally he turned and hugged her back.

   " So, abject, grovelling apology accepted?" Buffy asked.

   " Yes," Giles replied. He gave her a weak smile, and brushed some of her hair out of her face. Buffy took his arm.

   " Coming back in?"

   Giles hesitated.

   " Xander wants to apologise, too," Buffy told him. " Willow got mad and kicked him really hard."

   Giles flashed a brief grin at that.

   " I suppose I can catch the rest of the gig," he remarked.

   Buffy smiled and they re-entered the Bronze.

   Xander looked up as they walked in. He got out of his seat as they approached.

   " Giles, I'm really sorry about what I said to you," he declared. " I should've thought about it before I opened my big yap."

   " Xander, it's all right –"

   " No, it's not all right," Xander interrupted earnestly. He looked up at Giles. " Please, you gotta hit me."

   Giles looked at him in disbelief. " You want me to hit you?"

   " Yeah," Xander confirmed. " Hard as you want." He closed his eyes and tensed, awaiting the blow. " Then we'll be even."

   Giles sighed.

   " Xander, I'm not going to –" Xander relaxed and opened his eyes just as Giles punched him in the arm.

   " Ow!" Xander gasped, holding his wounded limb. " Ow, ow…" Willow couldn't help grinning as Xander staggered around in a small circle. Giles took his seat and Buffy squashed in beside Oz and Willow.

   " Well, Xander," Giles remarked wryly, " are we, um, 'cool'?"

   " Yeah," Xander panted. " Yeah, we're cool." He sat down, rubbing his arm, flexing his tingling fingers. " So G-man, are the drinks still on you?"

The End

-^)--)~


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